While the Conservative leader may be enjoying the unfamiliar feeling of victory, behind him there's a whole host of colleagues, political enemies and family members who have apparently contributed to his success.

Being the Tory MP who most resembled Tony Blair his early rise through the ranks was seen by cynics as a matter of luck rather than judgment, his recent surge in the opinion polls in no small part due to Gordon Brown and an unfortunate series of events. Now, according to a glossy magazine, his wife Samantha is also entitled to a share of the glory.

A survey commissioned by Grazia magazine has concluded that Mrs Cameron is not only the nearest British politics gets to an American first lady, but with the majority naming her as the political wife they relate to most, the Sam Factor could prove crucial at the next General Election.

The results confirm what we already suspected. In modern day politics where image matters more than ever, the Camerons were always going to leave the Browns in the shade. According to Grazia editor Jane Bruton, the increasing importance of what she refers to as "the news and shoes agenda" is nothing to be ashamed about.

"Okay, appearances matter," say Bruton. "But that's because we're simply looking for leaders who are in some way like us and who will represent what we want. When women think of Samantha they think of someone who is fashionable, intelligent, ambitious and switched on; when women think of David they imagine him in a friendly stylish messy household making his kids breakfast.

"It means women can identify with him. They can imagine him being a husband of a friend."

Sadly, thoughts of the Prime Minister fail to conjure up similar pictures of domestic bliss. According to the survey, half of all women see Brown as "boring", a similar number described him as "old fashioned" and a third opted for just "plain dowdy".

"Gordon Brown has a lot of ground to make up." says Bruton. "He's more private, but in today's society it's not just enough to see the politician. We need to see more of the man.

"It's clear the political sands are shifting and we are moving into a new era where image is becoming an important factor.

"The women who would have once voted for Labour without a second thought are now feeling that Cameron is more in tune with their lives. They're identifying with his family set up and his wife whereas Brown remains a closed doors type of politician.

"Because Cameron has been so open, he's got our ear, although he still has to deliver on policies we want to hear."

While Brown will probably not lose sleep over the 62 per cent who said they'd like to throw him off a cliff, it may come as some comfort to know that he wasn't the only one to feel the wrath of the 2,000 respondents.

More than half struggled to name a female politician who they actually liked and 98 per cent admitted they were turned off by the present crop of women MPs.

Perhaps surprisingly – given the worrying 86 per cent who confessed a slim politician could swing their vote and a similar number who admired those with straight white teeth – Anne Widdecombe topped the poll for the most likable politician.

Asking women to name their secret political crush (Nicholas Sarkozy) and the male celebrity they would most like to see in the House of Commons (Jeremy Paxman), the Grazia survey is unlikely to register on the political Richter scale. However, with women between 25 and 45 accounting for the largest group of floating voters in UK, collectively they could make or break political fortunes, and while they may like their leaders to be well turned out they are also concerned about violent crime, the cost of living, the state of the health service, the environment and immigration

"Fundamentally, women say they want politicians they can trust," says Bruton. "They want more dynamic leaders, less spin and more live debates.

"Ultimately when voting for a male politician, women say his biggest attraction is his policies and ideals – the two things often cited as Cameron's political Achilles heel and it is worth noting that despite everything more women still said they would call Brown than Cameron in a crisis."

Given the events of the past few months Brown should expect to be very much in demand.